Signal strength ??? + other questions

[Guest cartierv]

Ok so I got a new number, and the SIM is active.

The first question is, and if there's a simple answer please state:

the signal strength is one bar on the SF. On another phone next to me, a 20 quid Alcatel also on Orange it's 4 bars. Is there some reason for this ? Is android misreporting the signal strength, or is this some fault ? It phones out to Orange ok

-------------

Question 2:

Ok so there's still no way of activating your Google account because the 10 pound hasn't been applied yet by orange, someone else here said it won't at all to that account.

If I top up another 10 pounds, it will be 48 hours till that turns into internet minutes.

So still no 'native' internet and thus no Google account as Orange were too dumb to make it use Wifi. This is fing insane. I don't know how others feel, to me it just seems Orange are selling something that they don't quite have. I had no idea that when you go to buy a new mobile phone these days and you need a new SIM it takes weeks to make it an active unit. Or to take advantage of it properly as a smartphone; i.e to access applications. It's like they are selling a work in progress experiment.

Edited December 11, 2010 by cartierv

[Guest Fi5h]

The Signal is very strange I agree - mine is often showing one or no bars where my old N95 would show full. It has never dropped a call yet so it's not been that much of a problem. Tho it did show as no signal in the supermarket the other day which I can't recal if that was a problem before or not.

I did install an app that gave a me a new signal bar, but that petty much reported the same thing just with more divisions.

It seems like either, as you say, the display is not accurate or the actual internal antena is a bit weak, but not quite bad enough to loose it completely.

It's been my only gripe with the phone actually.

As for your gmail account - I just activated mine first time at home over wifi.

[Guest cartierv]

cheers.

I have never been able to activate a google account on the phone.

Not with a sim, not without a sim. Just get a message 'cannot establish a reliable data connection'

As far as I can tell the Google set up app is not even aware WIFI is on.

Someone else said it only worked through 3g amazingly. Someone else said to factory reset the phone which I haven't done yet, and didn't really want to if it's gonna zap everything i have put on there, although i suppose it's not that important. If anyone has any other ideas about the google account set up would like to hear them.

Edited December 11, 2010 by cartierv

[Guest targetbsp]

I thought the needing 3g was a bug with the custom froyo roms that's fixed in the newer ones anyway? It should be fine over wi-fi in the stock rom shouldn't it? I assume you are just trying to log into an existing google account? If not make one from your computer first - I connected to an existing account on my phone over wifi with no problems.

Edited December 11, 2010 by targetbsp

[Guest cartierv]

No it doesn't work.

Won't take a PC-made account either.

Can I ask a question: when it actually does work, does it actually take '5 minutes' ?

Because to me it doesn't actually look like it's doing anything.

I thought the needing 3g was a bug with the custom froyo roms that's fixed in the newer ones anyway? It should be fine over wi-fi in the stock rom shouldn't it? I assume you are just trying to log into an existing google account? If not make one from your computer first - I connected to an existing account on my phone over wifi with no problems.

[Guest cartierv]

I'm just reading this is an issue on all Android phones when you fail to link the google account when the phone first boots. And must be factory reset. That is insane. That's a decision to code that in. Absolutely awful. F Google frankly. What kind of system is that ? It's pathetic.

[Guest Arr Too]

Are you using a leaked Froyo ROM? Or the stock Orange 2.1 ROM?

[Guest cartierv]

ok found a way without reset. link your google account to youtube on a pc then login to the youtube application, it actually seemed to crash the entire phone, but when i rebooted market is working

[Guest cartierv]

stock orange

Are you using a leaked Froyo ROM? Or the stock Orange 2.1 ROM?

[Guest Rtsbasic]

When it comes to signal strength, every OEM has a different idea about what 3, 4, 5 etc bars should mean, as highlighted by the iPhone earlier this year. I upgraded to my SF from an N95 a couple of weeks ago, and have noticed a weaker signal connected to Orange almost everywhere, but a much stronger connection to "Orange T-Mobile", to the extent I can make calls and browse the internet pretty comfortably from places I didn't get a signal before.

Unlike most simple phones, the antennas in the base of the handset btw, so how you hold the phone can have a marginal effect on signal strength.

[Guest Mike_P]

If you check the phone manual page 20 there's a picture showing the positions of the antennas.

[Guest Matty-p]

When it comes to signal strength, every OEM has a different idea about what 3, 4, 5 etc bars should mean, as highlighted by the iPhone earlier this year. I upgraded to my SF from an N95 a couple of weeks ago, and have noticed a weaker signal connected to Orange almost everywhere, but a much stronger connection to "Orange T-Mobile", to the extent I can make calls and browse the internet pretty comfortably from places I didn't get a signal before.

Unlike most simple phones, the antennas in the base of the handset btw, so how you hold the phone can have a marginal effect on signal strength.

agree with above

yep its basically if you get a given signal and two phones say -91db one phone may say -91db is in the -95 to -90 range that is given the 4 bar represntation while anouther may give -91 db a 5 bar reprenation. here have an attached image

of couse antena positioning can affect signal strengh beacase if it is covered by your hand then youll get less cos some of the waves struggle to penetrate through the hand or lose power while doing so (sepecilly if the carier uses the top frequancys for mobile like 2.1 ghz) . of corse the ip4 is a different story desighning a device so whenever you hold a phone the moiusture and density of the hand either shorts the antena or weakens streangh is stupid anyone could have told them that :) sorry just thought id through in some apple hate there :( . so no its nothing really to worry about .

but orange's network is cr*p coverage and speed and price is just a joke i suggest you go over to 3 asap

3 have the best 3g coverage of the uk and give you a far better deal than orange for a tenner a month you get

3000 texts

650meg data

100 minits

thats the best allowance in the uk for payg 10 quid

and if you order a free sim through this adress you get anouther £2 credit free ! always worth having :) same goes for anybody btw will never expire - http://freeagent.three.co.uk/stand/index/id/12785

Edited December 11, 2010 by Matty-p

[Guest Fi5h]

.... a much stronger connection to "Orange T-Mobile", to the extent I can make calls and browse the internet pretty comfortably from places I didn't get a signal before.

I seem to remember hearing about being able to use T-Mobile as a network - is that automatic or do I have to adjust some settings to enable a switch?

Thanks

[Guest ovolactohippo]

but orange's network is cr*p coverage and speed and price is just a joke i suggest you go over to 3 asap

3 have the best 3g coverage of the uk and give you a far better deal than orange for a tenner a month you get

3000 texts

650meg data

100 minits

thats the best allowance in the uk for payg 10 quid

and if you order a free sim through this adress you get anouther £2 credit free ! always worth having :) same goes for anybody btw will never expire - http://freeagent.three.co.uk/stand/index/id/12785

Come come, that's not true :) giffgaff offer unlimited texts, unlimited data (no FUPs) and 150 mins for £10 per month when you buy the £10 goodybag. In fact, until the end of December there's a bonus 100 mins too so that's 250 mins! Running on O2's network.

Also £5 free credit when ordered from another member once topped up with £10 at activation (and the member gets £5 payback for that too).

For sake of having the link here if someone did want it (rather than shamelessly touting myself ;P) my affiliate link is:

http://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/ovolactohippo

[Guest Matty-p]

Come come, that's not true :) giffgaff offer unlimited texts, unlimited data (no FUPs) and 150 mins for £10 per month when you buy the £10 goodybag. In fact, until the end of December there's a bonus 100 mins too so that's 250 mins! Running on O2's network.

Also £5 free credit when ordered from another member once topped up with £10 at activation (and the member gets £5 payback for that too).

For sake of having the link here if someone did want it (rather than shamelessly touting myself ;P) my affiliate link is:

http://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/ovolactohippo

my point was as this is a coverage thread about orraneg that 3 had the best coverage of all of them and offer a far better deal practically unlimited texts and data and 100 mins far better than orange

they do actually say its the best on thier website althouigh i think they say out of the big five so they got out of it that way

[Guest ovolactohippo]

my point was as this is a coverage thread about orraneg that 3 had the best coverage of all of them and offer a far better deal practically unlimited texts and data and 100 mins far better than orange

they do actually say its the best on thier website althouigh i think they say out of the big five so they got out of it that way

Agreed with the coverage, but ooh, how I dislike advertising with an asterisk and small print! :)

[Guest StevenHarperUK]

I seem to remember hearing about being able to use T-Mobile as a network - is that automatic or do I have to adjust some settings to enable a switch?

Thanks

You have to go and turn it on for your phone number

https://kareena.orange.co.uk/share/

If you have no signal for Orange it will switch to TMobile's network (for TXT, gprs and phonecalls), every 30 minutes it will then look for an Orange signal,

This is due to change in the future and will support 3G, when this occurs it should just swap to the best signal whenever possible.

Edit : Orange Cover checker is here : http://search.orange.co.uk/ouk/portal/coveragechecker.html

Tmobile : http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/coverage/street-check/

Edited December 12, 2010 by StevenHarperUK

[Guest cobalt01]

The problem with the market is that without apn settings being correct it wont connect to the internet or market. Wi-Fi should work though (what i've noticed one mine). Has for the signal bars it isn't really a problem. You'll find if you allow network connection it will more than likely show 3g+. If you go to menu, settings, wireless and networks, mobile networks and make sure use only 2g networks you more than likely have full signal on G/E. I thought the same until i went tried that. I find most places around where i live get 3 bars 3g+ sometimes full but more less 100% of the time full Edge signal.